Pyrenees family vacation, Spain

Planet and people

On this tour we stay in a locally owned hotel set sympathetically against the surrounding mountainous environment. Our local leader briefs the group on etiquette in the National Park to ensure that the area remains unspoiled by our visit. The area in which we do all our activities is relatively untouched as it is often overlooked by many other overseas visitors and we aim to keep it that way. We do not include any dinners at the hotel so that the group can try the local food in several different restaurants during their stay, thus distributing the revenue more evenly across the local economy. We also make sure that we use local suppliers for our transport.

The national parks that we visit charge entrance fees, which contribute to their upkeep, and again our local leader makes sure that the group abide by all rules to minimise our impact on the local environment. There are exciting optionals on this trip, which are run by local operators, which helps to contribute to the local economy. The ground-handling agent we use on this tour is based in the Catalan region thus ensuring that the money that pays for this trip stays in the local area.

Our Tour Leaders are all trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This then percolates down through those they deal with.

In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators. As a company we support Cool Earth. Protecting rainforest is one of the most effective actions to tackle climate breakdown. CoolEarth work with indigenous communities empowering them to conserve their forest; keeping CO2 locked in.